Process of refining unwashed sugar



Patented Nov. 9, 192%.

ams

CHRISTIAN J. GAMBEL, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

PROCESS OF REFINING I J'NWASH ED SUGAR.

No Drawing.' Application filed May 13,

This invention relates to, a process of refining raw sugar, and has for.its object to lessen the cost, to quicken the time, and to otherwiseimprove the processes heretofore carried out.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in thenovel steps and combinations of, steps constituting process, all as willbe more fully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in theclaims.

In order that the exact invention may be the more clearly understood, itis said:

'As atpresent practiced in sugar refineries,

' wherein high power decolorizing carbons are not used, the raw sugar ismixed with suitable quantities of water andliquors from previousprocesses, said solutions are sent through suitable washing machines,generallyof the centrifugal type, in order to get rid of a largeproportion of the coloring 'matter present, and the brown sugar which isrecovered from the washing ma'chines ;is next mixed with say, about 59%of 1ts weight of water to. form'what is-called a melt, which melt iscarried to large con-,

tainers called 'clarifiers where it is heated and thoroughly stirred. Tothe clarifiers are added lime and Filter-eel, or other inert filteringmaterial, to precipitate .as much of the remaining- .coloring. matter aspossible, whereupon the sugar solution is out still more, of thecoloring matter present, andv then the liquor, from the filter is passedover bone black to decolorize the same, whence the liquors or Syrupspass to vacuum pans vhere they are concentrated to such a degree thatrefined sugar may be made therefrom.

is very expensive not only due to the invest ment in the machinery andits. up-keep,

but alsodue to the laborthat has to be employedin connection therewith.

In carrying out this invention, I eliminate Y the washing plantaltogether and carry the. melt or solution of. unwashed raw sugarcontaining about. 50% of its weight of water, directly to theclarifierswherethe .usualquantities oflimejand aninert filtering material areadded to. said solution, as

. Ser-iaI No. 560. 777.

well as from, say,-% of a pound to 2 pounds of Carbroxc, to each 100pounds of sugar present. Carbrox is a high powered i loiii e ca o ma e ypassing e hullsout of contact with the air through a suitablecarbonizing apparatus. These hulls are. preferably carbonized at atemperature soda at a boiling temperature for about thirty-minutes to anhour, or .untila very large proportion of thesilicious matter presenthas been'removed, all as willbe clear fro British *Patent #116,253 1dated July 26, 19,18, to Shilstone. The finely [dica rbon ized rice hullmaterial is now .recoveredsfron the caustic soda solution,

dried, and its finely dividedicondition-is placed n the .clarifiers asabove stated.

From: the clarifiers the sugar ,liquors are passed through suitablefilters, preferably of the Sweetland type, andfroin said filters thefiltered solution is'passed over the well known bone-blackin the mannerheretofore employed. After the liquor leaves the bone blackit f oiund'tobe sufliciently decolor- ,L'zed to pass to the vacuum pans asheretopassed throughsuitable filters, which take fore. where it, isbrought to a sufficient concentration for the making of refined: sugar.

In other words, it is found that by the addition 'ofthe; above mentionedCarbrox to the cIarifiers-fone i'slenabled to eliminate. thewashinggplant altogether,

which .efi'ects a verygreat saving in. a sugar I refinery, for it. isconservatively estimated On the other hand, the washing apparatus thatthe; elimination of each employee .attached to a washing plant effects atotal; saving in, thecapital invested of some- I thing $8,000. or;$19,000. from seven to ten men, is-a conservative estimate by thosefamiliar with the refining of sugar of the, said employees in arefinery, it can portion of Carbron? stated to the cl arifiers. B n,addi o Q this sa n in ap ie est by a fries e title, presse does notproduce any black molasses at.all, and in fact, produces relatively muchlessmolasses than heretofore of any kind. No black molasses is producedbecause the washing step being omitted the dark colored s3" ipscontained in the raw sugar are not ca. ed away by the wash water as inthe prior procedures, but are pumped along with the melt into theclarifying vats, where the Carbrox present decolorizes these said darkcolored syrups, as well as the sugar in a single operation. 7 It thusresults that at the end of the process, instead of having a relativelylarge quantity of low grade syrups to deal with, and which are ofrelatively small value, the operator has only high grade syrups and noblack strap molasses at all. He further has a sugar which is lighter incolor than under the prior processes, and a light colored molasses.These results are not only valuable in themselves, but they cause theprocedure to constitute a cleaner pro cess in theoperating of therefinery, in that one has fewer grades of syrups to Work with.

Further, by carrying out this process, one obtains a larger'yield ofrefined sugars than heretobefore, because fewer rehandlings of liquorsare required. It W111 be readlly understood that in each handlingmechanical losses occur, and a considerable proportion of these aresaved. Also refiners meet losses due to inversion of liquors each timeheat is applied to same. By this process,

the sugar solutions may be treated in an alkaline condition whichlessens the amount of inversion; and a considerable portlon of saidlosses are also saved as a result of the lessened number of necessaryheatings of the liquors. A saving is also eifected, because of theelimnation of the washing machine,

and the greater celerity of the procedure.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of theprocedure Without departing from the spirit of the invention, andtherefore, I do not wish to be limited to the foregoing disclosureexcept as may be required by the claims.

What I claim is l. The herein described process of refining sugar whichconsists in subjecting a solution of unwashed raw sugar to a clarifyingpartial decolorlzlng action in the presence of lime, an inert filteringmaterial,

and a quantity of FCarbrox sufficient to effect a partial decolorizationof said solution while maintaining the latter in an alkaline condition;filtering said clarified solution; decolorizing the filtrate thus produced; and concentrating said decolorized filtrate sufficiently toproduce refined sugar,

. substantially as described.

2; The herein described process of' refining sugar which consists inclarifying and partially decolorizing a solution of unof sugar present;filtering said clarified solution; passing the filtrate over bone blackto complete decolorization thereof; and producing refined sugar from thedecol orized solution, substantially as described.

3. The herein described process of refining sugar which consists inclarifying and partially decolorizing a solution oi unwashed raw sugarin the presence of lime, an inertfiltering medium and a quantity ofCarbrox equal to more than two pounds .to each one hundred pounds ofsugar present; maintaining said solution in an alkaline condition;filtering sald clarified solution; passing the filtrate over bone blackto complete the decolorization thereof; and

producing refined sugar from the decolorized solution, substantially asdescribed.

l. The process of refining sugar which consists in clarifying andpartially decolorizing an alkaline solution of unwashed sugar in thepresence of lime, an inert filtering material and more than threefourths of a pound of Carbrox to each one hundred pounds of sugarpresent; filtering the clarified and partially decolorized solution thusobtained; completing the decolorization of the filtered solution bysubjecting it to the action of bone black; and producing refined sugarfrom the decolorized solution thus obtained.

5. Theherein described process of refining sugar which consists insubjecting a solution of unwashed raw sugar to a clarifying partialdecolorizing action in the presence of lime, an inert filteringmaterial, and

a quantity of Carbrox of as little as ten ounces to each hundred poundsof sugar present and sufficient to effect a partial decolorization ofsaid solution; filtering said clarified solution; decolorizing thefiltrate thus produced; and concentrating said decolorized filtratesufliciently to produce refined sugar, substantially as described.

6. The herein described process of refining sugar which consists insubjecting a solution of unwashed raw sugar to a clarifying partialdecolorizlng action in the presence of lime and a quantity of Carbrox ofas little as a pound to each hundred pounds of sugar present andsufficient to effect a partial decolorization of said solution;maintaining said solution in an all:a-'

line condition; filtering said clarified solution; decolorizing thefiltrate thus produced; and concentrating said decolorized filtratesufficiently to produce refined sugar, substantially as described.

7. The herein described process of refining sugar Which consists insubjecting a solution of unwashed raw sugar to a clarifylli) ' ingpartial deoolorizing action in the presence of lime and a quantity ofGarbrox of as little as one and one half pounds to each one hundredpounds of sugar present and Sllfllillll? to effect a partialdecolorization of said solution; fitering said clarified solu tion;decolorizing the filtrate thus prosubstantially as described.

ture.

CHRISTIAN J. GAMBEL.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signad

